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Breaking news, original reporting, and investigative journalism *on money in politics from the Center for Responsive PoliticsMon, 19 Nov 2018 22:25:20 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.8Leadership PAC Funds Often Give Little to Other Candidateshttps://www.opensecrets.org/news/2013/04/leadership-pacs/
https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2013/04/leadership-pacs/#respondTue, 09 Apr 2013 16:28:03 +0000Leadership PACs are an extension of a politician's brand. Set up as auxiliaries to traditional campaign committees, they're traditionally thought of as ways for politicians to earn goodwill by passing campaign cash on to other party members -- bestowing gifts on up-and-comers in exchange for loyalty down the road, or offering tribute to party higher-ups. But in an analysis of leadership PACs, OpenSecrets.org found that of the 25 leadership PACs that spent more than $1 million in the last election cycle, just five of them gave more than 50 percent of their money to other candidates.

All are current lawmakers with political action committees that gave a third or less — in some cases far less — of their proceeds to other candidates in the 2012 campaign cycle.

Leadership PACs are an extension of a politician’s brand. Set up as auxiliaries to traditional campaign committees, they’re traditionally thought of as ways for politicians to earn goodwill by passing campaign cash on to other party members — bestowing gifts on up-and-comers in exchange for loyalty down the road, or offering tribute to party higher-ups. But in an analysis of leadership PACs, OpenSecrets.org found that of the 25 leadership PACs that spent more than $1 million in the last election cycle, just five of them gave more than 50 percent of their money to other candidates.

The top-spending leadership PAC, by far, is the Senate Conservatives Fund, run by former South Carolina Republican Sen. Jim DeMint, who in December resigned to become president of the Heritage Foundation. The SCF spent more than $15.8 million in the 2012 cycle, but only $6.4 million of that (about 46 percent of the total) on contributions to other candidates — though it also spent $3.5 million in independent expenditures supporting GOP hopefuls.

DeMint’s SCF stands out because of the sheer size of its operation. It spent more than $2 million on fundraising efforts via direct mail and telemarketing alone — only eight other leadership PACs even spent that much on all expenditures.

In what is arguably a sign of where power has shifted in the Republican party, the leadership PAC of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the highest ranking Republican in the Senate, according to the party hierarchy, spent just a fraction of what DeMint’s group paid out — about $1.1 million, and only 50 percent of that was in the form of contributions to other candidates, PACs or parties.

Many of the top-spending leadership PACs belong to lawmakers who rule the roost, hierarchically speaking. Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) rank second and sixth on the list of top spending leadership PACs, and second and third behind DeMint’s in terms of overall giving to other candidates. Following close behind are the PACs of Democratic House Minority Whip Rep. Steny Hoyer (Md.) and GOP House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), which gave $1.3 million and $1.2 million to other candidates, committees and party groups, respectively.

National Aspirations

SarahPAC, the leadership PAC led by former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, also ranks among the top spending leadership PACs, but it stands out for how little of that cash it gives to other candidates. The group spent $5.1 million in the 2012 cycle, ranking it third on the list of top spenders even though Palin was not running for any office, but it gave just 4 percent of that, or about $306,000, to candidates, PACs or party groups.

While Palin’s leadership PAC stands out for its high spending and single digit sharing, it’s not an unusual pattern for politicans rumored to have presidential ambitions, or at least aspirations to a national profile.

Rubio’s Reclaim America PAC spent $1.7 million, far less than SarahPAC, but similarly gave just 4 percent of that cash to other political committees or parties. The leadership PACs for Reps. Michelle Bachman (R-Min.), Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.), former Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) and his son Rand, all known for their national aspirations, all raised more than $1 million but gave 10 percent or less to other candidates.

Political Operation

For many politicians, a leadership PAC can be a way to keep a full-time political operation going, even when no campaign is in sight. The Searchlight Leadership Fund, the leadership PAC run by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) spent $2.6 million in 2012, but only 29 percent of that, $759,000, went to other candidates or committees. The rest of the money went to fundraisers, rent on offices, administrative costs (like salaries and benefits) and political strategists. Compared to his Republican counterpart, McConnell, Reid gave more overall, but he also spent more paying his top political strategist Rebecca Lamb Jolley ($267,500) than what he gave to his Democratic Senate colleagues ($265,500.)

The leadership PAC of Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) spent just under $1 million in the 2012 cycle, but gave just $155,000 to other committees or party groups. In fact, he gave just $109,500 to his Republican Senate colleagues — less than what he paid at least two political consultants: the Ingram Group and Bryan Kaegi.

Hybrid PAC

DeMint’s leadership PAC managed to top the list of organizations giving to other candidates by taking a more unconventional approach. It gave out some money to other campaigns in the form of direct contributions — but only $75,000 of the $6.4 million it distributed to other candidates was given via that route. For the rest, the SCF worked as a fundraising operation for other conservative Senate candidates. For instance, the leadership PAC sent almost $1.5 million to Republican Senate candidate Josh Mandel, but only $10,000 of it came from the the SCF itself — the rest of it was in the form of bundled donations made to DeMint’s group but earmarked for Mandel. A number of Republican Senate candidates benefited from this arrangement, including Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas), Jeff Flake (Ariz.) and failed Senate candidate Todd Akin.

And DeMint’s SCF leadership PAC didn’t just make contributions to other campaigns, committees and party groups — it also spent money, directly, in specific races, operating partly as a super PAC. The group spent more than $3.5 million running these ads, almost all in support of fellow Republicans, with Nebraska Senate candidate Don Rehberg getting the biggest support.

New CRP Tool

All 408 federal leadership PACs that made contributions in the 2012 cycle are tracked in a new Leadership PACs page on the OpenSecrets.org website. The PACs can be ranked by overall spending in the cycle, or by contributions to other candidates, committees and party groups.

]]>https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2013/04/leadership-pacs/feed/0Soft Cash Changes Hands Between Crossroads GPS and the NRAhttps://www.opensecrets.org/news/2012/12/soft-cash-changes-hands-between-cro/
https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2012/12/soft-cash-changes-hands-between-cro/#respondMon, 17 Dec 2012 20:00:00 +0000In its shadow money investigation, the Center for Responsive Politics came across a $600,000 donation from Crossroads GPS going into the pockets of the National Rifle Association's 501(c)(4) group.

In its investigation into shadow money groups, the Center uncovered a $600,000 donation to the NRA’s nonprofit from Crossroads GPS — the 501(c)(4) associated with Karl Rove and his super PAC, American Crossroads. In the 2012 election cycle, the NRA Institute for Legislative Action spent $7.4 million on independent expenditures, bringing the overall total spent by NRA-affiliated groups to $17.6 million.

In order to maintain 501(c)(4) status with the Internal Revenue Service, social welfare must be the main focus of these groups, so they cannot have more than half of their overall spending go toward politics.

The NRA, with its nonprofit affiliate, spent $11.4 million of the money they spent in the general election opposing Democrats and $5.9 million supporting Republicans. Within the NRA Institute for Legislative Action, about 63 percent of its $7.4 million was spent against Democrats, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics.

Although the money trail is further clouded when one 501(c)(4) gives money to another, Crossroads GPS and the NRA Institute for Legislative Action’s goals were similar, as shown by their overlapping targeted candidates.

The NRA Institute for Legislative Action focused on 62 candidates, spending at least $100,000 on 11 of them. The most it dropped on a single candidate was the $3.2 million opposing President Barack Obama, followed by the $885,000 it spent favoring Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

]]>https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2012/12/soft-cash-changes-hands-between-cro/feed/0Gun Rights Groups’ Political Spending Crushes That of Gun Control Supportershttps://www.opensecrets.org/news/2012/12/gun-control/
https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2012/12/gun-control/#respondFri, 14 Dec 2012 17:32:00 +0000When it comes to lobbying, campaign contributions and outside spending, pro-gun rights groups are light years ahead of those that support stronger gun control. The NRA accounts for most of the spending.

]]>After the tragic shooting and subsequent deaths of 27 people, 20 of whom were children, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., many are examining the debate between groups who are for stronger gun control and those that support the right to carry firearms.

Key players in the debate include several politically active groups that have spent years exerting influence in Washington.

The NRA alone has spent more than ten times as much as gun control interest groups on lobbying in 2011 and the first three quarters of 2012.

Since 2006, 15 different organizations have mentioned the words “gun control” in their lobbying reports. Smith and Wesson, one of the nation’s largest firearms manufacturers, has done so most frequently, mentioning the term 115 times. The National Rifle Association has the second-most mentions at 68.

For gun rights groups, 2012 was the most active election cycle since 2000. They contributed a total of $3 million to candidates, 96 percent of them Republicans, through mid-October. That also makes 2012 its most Republican election cycle, with 2000 and 2002 close behind with 93 percent of contributions going to Republicans.

By contrast, gun control groups contributed less in this election cycle than in any cycle as far back as OpenSecrets has data (1990) — again, through mid-October. After campaign spending peaked in 2000 with $581,000, politicians only saw $4,000 from gun control groups this year. All of those recipients were Democrats: Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.), losing candidate Lori Saldana (D-Calif.), and Sen.-elect Tim Kaine (D-Va.) The interest group is made up of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, and the Violence Policy Center. None of those groups are active enough to warrant their own pages on OpenSecrets.org.

Top recipients of money from gun rights interest groups included presidential candidate Mitt Romney, Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio), Sen.-elect Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and Senate candidate Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.). Tea party Republicans like Michele Bachmann and Allen West were high on the list, as well.

The NRA by itself had made more than $1 million worth of campaign contributions in the 2012 election cycle as of mid-October, almost all of which came from the group’s political action committee. It gave about $720,000 to federal candidates and $342,000 to PACs, political parties and outside spending groups.

According to data from the Center for Responsive Politics, donors associated with the NRA have heavily favored Republicans in contributions since the 1990 election cycle with an average of 83 percent of their money leaning right in the last two decades. In the 2012 cycle, 89 percent of the NRA’s contributions went to Republicans.

Smith and Wesson gave about 96 percent of its $22,750 in contributions to federal candidates as opposed to PACs or other groups. Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) got $7,000, Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) received $2,000 and California Rep. Buck Mckeon got $1,000.

On top of the NRA’s contributions, the group also made about $17 million in independent expenditures in the 2012 election cycle. About $11.4 million was spent opposing Democrats and $5.9 million was spent favoring Republicans. The group spent most of its millions on two candidates: $8.9 million against Obama and $3 million supporting Romney.

In congressional races, the NRA dropped about $588,000 in favor of Indiana GOP Senate hopeful Richard Mourdock and $344,000 on Senator-elect Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) After Obama, the group spent the next most opposing Democratic Sen.-elect Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) with about $753,000. It spent $511,000 against Virginia Sen.-elect Tim Kaine, also a Democrat.

A Sig Sauer was one of the guns found near the body of the alleged Newtown shooter. Image via flickr user Burns!.

]]>https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2012/12/gun-control/feed/0South Carolina Tea Party Senator To Leave Congress in Januaryhttps://www.opensecrets.org/news/2012/12/south-carolina-tea-party-senator-to/
https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2012/12/south-carolina-tea-party-senator-to/#respondThu, 06 Dec 2012 17:41:00 +0000A major voice of the tea party, Sen. Jim DeMint announced he will resign from Congress after the New Year, when he will take over as president of the conservative Heritage Fund.

]]>Two-term tea party Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) surprised most everyone Thursday when he announced his resignation, effective in January. He’s leaving the upper chamber to be the new president of the conservative Heritage Foundation, replacing current head Ed Feulner.

“I’m leaving the Senate now, but I’m not leaving the fight,” DeMint said in a statement. “I’ve decided to join the Heritage Foundation at a time when the conservative movement needs strong leadership in the battle of ideas. No organization is better equipped to lead this fight, and I believe my experience in public office as well as in the private sector as a business owner will help Heritage become even more effective in the years to come.”

]]>As the dust continues to settle from the chaos and excitement of Election Day, there were more winners and losers than just the candidates themselves.

Industries dropped millions on the presidential and congressional campaigns. And although the gambles paid off in some cases, those industries that struck out will have to wait a couple years for another chance at bat. The Winners

Nine of the top 10 recipients of funds from lawyers and law firms won their races. The lone defeated candidate was Mitt Romney — on whom the industry spent $12.3 million.

After the presidential candidates, the industry spent the most on New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand ($2.1 million), followed by Florida Sen. Bill Nelson ($1.6 million) and Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill ($1.5 million). Challengers the industry supported included Senators-elect Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Tim Kaine of Virginia. All are Democrats.

Supporting a similar list of candidates, the lobbying industry was also a winner, boasting the same batting average as lawyers for its top 10 financed candidates. Romney again was this industry’s sole loser, but he also was its top recipient with $1.4 million.

Splitting its investments more closely between the parties, the industry contributed 52 percent of its $34.9 million to Democrats and the remaining 48 percent to Republicans. Winners who received lobbyists’ support included Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester ($424,000), Obama ($401,000), GOP Speaker of the House John Boehner ($347,000) and Washington Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell ($343,000).

Celebrities also made the cut of winners. The entertainment industry contributed $57.4 million and helped elect eight of its top 10 recipients. Only Romney and California Democratic Rep. Howard Berman were in the losers’ bracket. The two outliers received $1.1 million and $425,000, respectively, while Gillibrand ($403,000), McCaskill ($236,000) and California Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein ($185,000) also made the list of top recipients.

Other losing investments for the industry included former GOP presidential hopefuls Tim Pawlenty ($640,000) and Rick Perry ($495,000) and Republican Josh Mandel ($498,000), who lost the Ohio Senate race to Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown.

Perry’s unsuccessful White House run earned him $880,000 from the industry, while Scott Brown and Mandel received $577,000 and $470,000, respectively. Republican George Allen — who lost the Virginia Senate race to Kaine — rounds out real estate’s top 10 recipients with $392,000. Overall, the industry gave 66 percent of its contributions to Republican campaigns, leaving Democrats with the remaining 34 percent.

Because of the limitations of disclosure regarding the industry that the Center calls “retired,” little context for the donors is provided, so this group is examined separately from the remaining industries. Retired donors were No. 1 for both Obama and Romney, giving the party nominees $50 million and $56 million, respectively. Seven of the top 10 candidates backed by retired people lost, with six of those being presidential hopefuls. Winners in addition to Obama included Warren ($1.6 million) and Boehner ($1.1 million).